Polar Bears focus on chemistry, improvement during WVU camp

Jun. 22—MORGANTOWN — With months between now and the start of football season, high school teams are already gearing up for Friday nights this fall.

The Fairmont Senior High Polar Bears took their summer preparation to Milan Puskar Stadium on Wednesday, taking part in the WVU 7-on-7 Shootout and Big Man Camp, where they competed against schools from around the state — and outside of it.

With a full day of going up against teams that the Polar Bears otherwise wouldn't see in their regular season, it was an opportunity and a test for Fairmont Senior, who is looking to improve after falling in the state quarterfinals last year.

"It's a great experience, not only for the people who played last year, but for the incoming freshmen too," the Polar Bears' Dylan Ours said. "It's a great experience for everybody. Coming out here to work against some of the best players in the state, feels like almost every team in West Virginia is out here. It's a great experience."

"It's always good to get different competition here that you're typically not going to see in the season," Fairmont Senior head coach Nick Bartic said. "It's also a high level of competition, and it gives you a better idea of what you need to work on and a better quality of rep."

Both Milan Puskar Stadium proper and a practice field adjacent to it were swarming with teams from around West Virginia, and teams from outside the state such as Imani Christian Academy, a prep school from Pittsburgh, who Fairmont Senior played against Wednesday.

Though there is still much time until week one of football season, teams are already figuring out what they have to work with and what they have to improve.

"It's good to face this kind of competition, especially early, before the season," Polar Bears quarterback Brody Whitehair said. "It gives you kind of an idea of what you're going to look for and what we are going to look like during the season. It's been a fun experience."

Along with 7-on-7's among the skill positions, linemen were also put through the paces Wednesday, and were also put in a position where they could compete against a wide range of opponents.

"You see different movements, different speeds of different tackles, you get to look at a lot of different o-linemen," Fairmont Senior's Trevor Bigelow said.

"I wanted to come up here and get better. Get better at my fundamentals, flipping my hips, and hopefully winning all my 1-on-1's."

Wednesday also offered a rare chance for many of the attending linemen, a chance to receive coaching by some of WVU's own staff.

"The way they run this, the linemen part of it, it's something that's really good for even someone who's not necessarily a prospect," Bartic said. "Any high school kid getting that instruction and attention from college-level coaches, it's good for them, and it's a good system for how WVU runs this camp."

Indeed, just playing in Milan Puskar Stadium — even if for a 7-on-7 competition — made for an exciting day Wednesday, and an event where teams could continue to grow together.

"Honest to God, [building chemistry]'s one of the most important things to do in the offseason," Ours said. "What we work on every day, every practice, 7-on-7's, we're out there practicing with each other every day, so it definitely lets you build chemistry."

"Every 7-on-7, I'd say most of it is building chemistry," Whitehair said. "It's also about a bunch of these young guys stepping up, they're helping us as a team and helping themselves to get better every day."

In the cycle of building up new talent year-in and year-out in high school sports, ensuring that expectations remain high is important for the ascending crop of Polar Bears.

"It's good for the young guys," Bartic said. "They might not get a lot of playing time at these things, but they get to see how it works and see the system of what they have to do when it's their time to be the guy."

Two of "the guys" for Fairmont Senior this year figure to be senior Dylan Ours, and junior Brody Whitehair. For Whitehair, who spent last offseason racing to be ready for the start of the year after a mid-season knee injury, this summer offers a chance to prepare normally for the upcoming campaign.

"I was working on my body all of last year, now I'm just working on my mind," Whitehair said. "I'm focusing on seeing where defenses are at, looking through my progressions, and going from there."

For Ours, he is embracing the responsibilities of seniority on this Fairmont Senior team, including setting the tone after last year's postseason defeat.

"This year, we've got to stay more head-down focused," Ours said. "I think last year we let up a little bit, we thought we had more than we did. This year I'm making sure everybody keeps that head-down mentality. We're the underdogs, we got kicked out early, and so we're coming back for revenge this year."

The Polar Bears will have to wait for a time before then, though. They open their season on July 25 at Lewis County.

Reach Nick Henthorn at 304-367-2548, on Twitter @nfhenthorn_135 or by email at nhenthorn@timeswv.com.